Overview

• Prof. Heidi Newberg of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and colleagues detailed the idea on September 1 in Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences.
• The design uses a 1-by-20-meter mirror to achieve 20-meter-class resolution along one axis at mid-infrared wavelengths near 10 microns.
• By rotating the telescope so its long axis aligns with a star–planet pair, the instrument would separate a faint Earth-sized world from its host star.
• The team estimates roughly 27–30 Earth-size planets within about 30 light-years could be found in under three years, assuming about one per sun-like star.
• The authors present the approach as a simpler alternative to a 20-meter circular mirror, starshades, or tight formation flying, though it remains a concept requiring significant engineering and funding before a mission.